Friday Feature - 21.04.17

As part of our Meet the Maker series on our blog, we have created Friday Feature. Every Friday we will feature a team member and their Etsy shop, to give you a quick glance behind the scenes and discover more about our diverse team members.

Friday 21 April, 2017 - simoneone

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF:

I was originally born in a small city in Bulgaria, but have since lived in Barcelona, New York and now London. I'm a full time illustrator, and I'm interested in creating objects out of my illustrations, thus giving them a second life. In my spare time I like to explore different mediums of drawing and illustration - lately I've been into calligraphy and oil painting.

Temporary Tattoo Collection

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON ETSY?

I actually opened my Etsy shop awhile ago, but haven't invested much time into it and it wasn't getting me any attention. Luckily, I went to a London Local Speed Shop Assessment, and after I applied all the tips I received my shop became much more successful! Still I find nothing more rewarding that a customer parting with their hard earned money for a product of mine.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR DESIGN/MAKING PROCESS:

Everything starts with an idea. Then I need to make sure that this idea is original and hasn't been overdone. Then there is a meticulous sketching process to figure out the right composition, proportion, contrast. And then there's the perfecting. Passion is also really important in my work - I adore what I do and it's important to me that it comes across - it makes the work more honest and trustworthy. Also, when you're passionate about something it never feels like work, but really like a hobby.

simoneone behind her stand

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

That you're your own boss! The amount of satisfaction I get from doing what I love runs like a battery of happiness throughout everything else I do. And a sale means so much more when you're the only person behind it. It feels like you really did something right.

WHEN AND WHY DID YOU JOIN THE TEAM?

When I was looking to branch out into product making I wanted to find a community of like minded people with a similar mission. I have heard great things about LoLo and when I went to their Meet Up I discovered that it's a really supportive and inclusive group. There was no hint of competitiveness and I found that really inspiring.